×
×
homepage logo
LOGIN
SUBSCRIBE

Fewer bees seen

By Judith Saum - Rumney | Jun 19, 2021

As my husband and I sat dining and enjoying the gorgeous azaleas blooming on either side of our deck a few weeks ago, the usual humming of the bees was missing. This year, we have observed far fewer bees on each bush, and sometimes when I looked, I couldn’t find any!

This disturbing observation was a stark contrast to what we witnessed last year; we would usually see at least a dozen bees of all types feeding on each azalea.

Not just bumblebees and honeybees were few, but also the small, wild bees which do much of the “heavy lifting” when it comes to the work of pollination.

While many factors like pesticide abuse, habitat loss, and severe drought are blamed, recent studies point to rising temperatures from climate change as a key problem impacting bee health. A 2019 study on wild bees in NH showed that while some species migrate to cooler climes and thrive, many cannot survive causing an overall decline. Bumblebees also succumb to extreme heat.

I consider my observation a wake-up call, one which demands a sense of urgency and action on my part. I resolve to continue to landscape my yard with pollinator-friendly plants that support a variety of bees while doing all that I can, both personally and collectively, to reduce carbon emissions to curb increasing temperatures due to climate change. I invite others to join me in similar endeavors – perhaps together we can avoid a complete collapse of bee populations.

Newsletter

Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter.

Interests
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *